Global Cement News

UK/Germany: The World Green Building Council has announced that HeidelbergCement is an official partner of its Europe Regional Network. HeidelbergCement joins 4500 other companies across Europe in supporting the regional network’s work towards networking leaders, raising awareness, proposing policy and providing assessment, certification and information.

HeidelbergCement chair Dominik von Achten said, “Together with the Europe Regional Network of the World Green Building Council, we now want to further intensify the promotion of sustainability and innovation in the construction sector. In this way, we are accelerating the development towards a carbon-neutral construction industry, and ultimately towards a carbon-neutral society in Europe.”

Germany: The Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) has awarded a placard to Opterra’s 2.3Mt/yr integrated Karsdorf plant, declaring that a multi-purpose facility at the plant in Saxony-Anhalt is a “martin-friendly house.” The company says that the building is the first industrial facility to receive the accreditation, after becoming the home to 60 breeding pairs of house martins. Opterra Karsdorf head of mining Axel Horn said, “For us, active environmental and biodiversity protection means protecting and respecting nature, even during limestone extraction. Animals and plants established here will find ideal living conditions.”

France: Fives’ sales across all business lines rose by 2.5% year-on-year to Euro2bn in 2019, mainly due to positive currency effects. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 28% to Euro120m from Euro94m due to “a strong increase in orders for equipment and small systems in almost all segments except cement.” However, the group reported a loss of Euro22.6m in 2019, up from 19.9m in 2018.

The equipment manufacturer noted two cement industry trends impacting upon its process technologies division. Firstly, European and American players “continue to streamline their portfolios and cut costs.” Secondly, in the rest of the world, “the market still pays little heed to environmental and energy issues,” meaning that decisions are made at prohibitively low price levels.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement has dispatched 27,800t of clinker to Senegal from its new Lagos cement terminal in Apapa Port, Lagos State. M2 Presswire News has reported that the terminal will now begin dispatches of 984,000t/yr of clinker to Cameroon. Dangote Cement aims to serve the whole of West Africa with 4Mt/yr of clinker exports from the terminal. Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) acting director general Chuma Oruche said, “The export of clinker by Dangote Cement will be beneficial to the Nigerian economy in terms of export earnings, job creation and wealth creation for families connected with these achievements.”

Panama: Grupo Argos subsidiary Cementos Argos has announced the “gradual reactivation” of its operations in Panama. The first stage of the post-coronavirus start of operations consists of “supply to prioritised public infrastructure works and sale to hardware stores,” begun on 9 June 2020. Presently the company is awaiting clearance from the Panamanian government to resume deliveries to “construction customers and other types of projects.”